Collin Morikawa had a very impressive week at The Masters, finishing tied third after a tough battle with eventual Green Jacket winner Scottie Scheffler in the final group. Despite falling away in the final nine holes, as a result of two untimely double bogeys at the turn, Morikawa arguably defied expectations.
Arriving at Augusta National, the two-time Major winner had been on a disappointing run by his standards, but the class he possesses was bound to resurface eventually. Morikawa finished the week ranking in the top-7 for Strokes Gained (SG): Tee to green, SG: Approach and SG: Putting – emphasising how good his all-round play was!
Combine that with ranking in the top-3 for greens in regulation and driving accuracy, it quickly becomes clear that we could all learn a thing or two from one of the best ball strikers on the planet... right?
As luck would have it, we sat down with Morikawa and asked him to share five top tips that can help you become a better golfer...
1. Playing Shots In The Wind
Hitting golf shots in the wind is all about spin control. The harder you swing, the more the ball spins. The more the ball spins, the more it’s going to take the wind. So when you hear people using that classic phrase ‘when it’s breezy, swing it easy’, they’re really telling the truth. It’s something all golfers need to remember in those conditions.
To help take some spin off the ball and keep it down in the wind, I like to picture myself swinging really flat and almost putting topspin on the ball. That’s a great feeling I like to have in my swing hitting into the wind. If I can hit a low, medium and high ball flight with most of my clubs, I can go out and play in any amount of wind because I can control the spin in that way. Practising hitting clubs with high, mid and low ball flights is another great way to prepare for playing in the wind.
2. Rotation In The Golf Swing
For my iron striking in particular, it’s all about rotation. I like doing half swings and punch shots as these teach me to sync up my body and focus on making really good contact with the ball.
When you’re practising with a full swing there can be too much going on in your head, whereas punch shots and half swings really force you to focus on impact and getting through the golf ball correctly. Drilling rotation and contact in before transitioning back to a full swing should see you striking the ball a little more purely.
3. Distance Control
It doesn’t matter how well or how badly you hit the ball, if you know how far each club in the bag is carrying, that’s one of the best things you can do for your game. Lots of people like to assume their yardages, or just assume a wedge goes ‘roughly 100 yards’ or something like that, when in reality it’s vital to spend a session or two working out to the exact yard how far each club carries through the air.
To take that up another level, it can be really useful to understand how far a low strike with each club goes, or how far a draw and a fade go with each club. Going into a round of golf armed with this information is essential and something not enough golfers do.
4. Putting Mirrors
I think a lot more golfers need to go out and get a mirror to help with their putting. I don’t think a lot of golfers know exactly where their eyeline is when they’re standing over a putt, and if it’s too far in front or too far behind, that can start to cause a lot of problems.
Standing over one of those putting mirrors on the practice green allows you to check where your eyeline is and start to build muscle memory and the correct feeling for where your head needs to be over the putt. From there, you can start to drill the correct position and build a solid, consistent base on which to start holing more putts.
5. Positive Final Thoughts
I’m out here in Maui right now on the Bay course at Kapalua. We’re right by the ocean and golf holes with water can get intimidating for a lot of golfers who can’t get the water or other hazards out of their mind. On courses where there might be lots of water or lots of bunkers, I think it’s absolutely okay to think about those hazards and acknowledge them before you hit your shot.
However, I always think it’s best to have a final thought before you swing, asking yourself, ‘What does my best shot look like right now?’ This is a much better mindset to have before you swing. It’s not like you completely take out your surroundings and the challenge of the shot ahead, but I think it’s really useful to have that final thought ending on something that is good and positive. From there, hopefully you can execute that best possible shot once you’ve imagined it.
